The No. 7 ISU hockey team will be back on the ice this Friday and Saturday night for its first pair of home games of 2012.

The Cyclones will host Kent State on a weekend where they will also be honoring the Iowa National Guard on Friday night and the family of former teammate Marcus Andary on Saturday night.

Coach Al Murdoch doesn’t think that either of these events that will happen before each game will be a distraction for his team.

“When we’re on the ice, we play hockey, and when we’re off the ice, we recognize those people that we want to recognize,” Murdoch said. “When the puck drops, we’re there to play hockey.”

Senior captain and forward Brian Rooney believes these events will be a source of motivation for the team.

“A lot of us knew [Andary] pretty well and had the opportunity to play with him last season,” Rooney said. “So many people were affected by that loss that it’s really going to motivate them the rest of the season to play for him and play in his honor.”

The Cyclones (19-5-1-4) are currently at the top of the CSCHL with 61 points, while the Golden Flashes (13-9-0-1) are in fifth place with 39 points.

Murdoch describes Kent State coach Jarret Whidden, a former NCAA Division I hockey player for Ohio State, as unpredictable.

“You learn to expect the unexpected,” Murdoch said. “He might pull his goaltender at full strength at any time.”

Rooney has seen Whidden do this twice in his career at Iowa State.

“I’ve seen it happen firsthand,” Rooney said. “The hope is just whatever decision he makes, he doesn’t put too much thought into because we’ll be able to take advantage of any mistakes they have, and they’ll be able to do the same with us.”

The last time the Cyclones and the Golden Flashes met, the Cyclones won a two-game set on the road with scores of 5-3 and 6-1.

Despite the Cyclones being ranked much higher than the Golden Flashes, both Murdoch and Rooney have said that no team in the CSCHL can be taken lightly.

“I would compare it to the SEC in NCAA football,” Rooney said. “Anybody can win.”

Both games this Friday and Saturday start at 7:30 p.m. at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.